A truck tracker system is now part of running a professional fleet. It protects valuable vehicles and loads, helps with tachograph compliance, shows where every truck is and gives you the evidence you need when things go wrong. Whether you run one tipper or a fleet of artics, this guide explains how a truck tracker system works, the options available and how to choose the right mix for your business.
Trucks and their loads are prime targets for organised criminals, from theft of whole vehicles to curtain-slashing at lay-bys and service areas. The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) works with the freight industry to tackle cargo and vehicle crime, and tracking is one of the tools it encourages.
Beyond theft, a truck tracker system helps you plan routes, answer customer queries, monitor driver behaviour, manage tachograph data and keep vehicles earning. For most operators it pays for itself through better utilisation and lower costs, before security even comes into it.
Each truck carries a GPS unit wired into its electrics. It reports position, speed and status over the 4G mobile network, and you see the whole fleet on a map in an app or on your computer. Depending on the system, you also get journey reports, driver behaviour data, tachograph downloads and alerts for theft, speeding or vehicles leaving a depot.
The Tacho Truck Tracker combines live 4G truck tracking and full driver behaviour analytics with remote tachograph downloads, so drivers do not need to bring vehicles back to the yard for downloads. It integrates with dash cameras and DVR kits, and comes with free training for your staff.
Our Dash Camera with GPS records the road in 1080p HD, tracks the vehicle live and lets you recover incident footage remotely, which is invaluable for insurance claims.
Operators must download and keep tachograph data and make sure drivers follow the rules on drivers’ hours. GOV.UK sets out the requirements for tachographs and drivers’ hours. A truck tracker system with remote tachograph downloads makes compliance easier, because data is collected automatically without vehicles returning to the depot. Tacho downloads are available on the Tacho Truck Tracker for a small extra monthly charge.
Trailers are often left in yards, at customers or in lay-bys, and many are stolen with their loads. A battery-powered GPS asset tracker hidden in each trailer tells you where it is and alerts you if it leaves its zone. Combined with a tracker on the tractor unit, you can see both together and spot when a trailer is detached somewhere it should not be.
Simple practices help too: park in secure, lit truck parks, use approved locks, check curtains and seals at every stop and plan routes that avoid unsafe overnight parking.
Dallas keys are familiar to many fleets as a simple way to identify drivers. On the S5 Dallas and S5 Plus Dallas, each driver presents their key, the system records who is driving, and on the S5 Plus Dallas the engine will not start without a valid key. That protects against theft and unauthorised use, and makes reports far more useful.
A truck tracker system works best when it is set up around how your business runs. Name each vehicle by registration and fleet number, and each trailer by its own number. Draw zones around your depots, regular customers and preferred truck parks, so the truck tracker system tells you when vehicles arrive and leave. Add logins for transport managers, planners and the office, with each person seeing the vehicles they need. Then choose a small number of alerts to start with, such as out-of-hours movement and speeding, and build from there.
The real value of a truck tracker system is in the reports. Journey reports show routes, stops and times for each truck. Utilisation reports show which vehicles are earning and which are standing. Driver behaviour reports highlight harsh driving and excessive idling. Tachograph data, downloaded remotely, sits alongside it all. Reviewing these weekly helps you spot trends, reward good drivers and tackle problems early.
Most operators run more than one kind of vehicle: tractor units, rigids, vans, trailers and perhaps plant. A single truck tracker system can cover them all. Approved trackers on the most valuable units, tacho trackers where downloads matter, live GPS trackers on support vehicles and battery asset trackers on trailers all appear on one map, in one account, with one support team.
Insurance approved truck trackers are fitted free by an approved engineer anywhere in mainland UK, at your depot where possible, and we can fit several vehicles in one visit to keep the fleet moving. Tacho Truck Tracker plans start from £7.08 plus VAT a month by direct debit, with tachograph downloads £2.50 plus VAT a month extra. Live GPS trackers start from £4.99 a month, and monitored trackers from £9.99 a month. For larger fleets, call us for tailored pricing. See all of our truck trackers.
With a monitored truck tracker, our UK team is alerted as soon as the truck moves without authorisation. They call you, and if the vehicle has been stolen they track it and work with the police to recover it, once you have a crime reference number. With a live GPS truck tracker, you receive the alert and can share the location with the police straight away.
I Track Direct has been in vehicle tracking for 21 years. Our UK team is on 01622 234510, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and offers free training for your staff on the Tacho Truck Tracker. For a stolen vehicle, our line is open 24/7: call the same number and select option 1. See our fleet tracking options too.
I Track Direct has been protecting vehicles for 21 years. From our base in Maidstone, Kent, we supply and fit insurance approved trackers, live GPS trackers, immobilisers, dash cameras and tool trackers for drivers, riders and businesses right across the UK.
Every approved tracker we sell is fitted by an approved engineer at your home or workplace, free of charge in mainland UK, and monitored by our UK team around the clock. Our live GPS trackers come with a free app and web login, unlimited logins for family and colleagues, and plans with no contract.
When you call us, you speak to real people who know vehicle security, not a script. We will help you choose the right product for your vehicle and your insurer, book your fitting at a time that suits you, and look after you for as long as you have a tracker with us.
Call 01622 234510, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or email enquiries@itrackdirect.com. For a stolen vehicle, call the same number at any time and select option 1.
A system of GPS trackers fitted to trucks and trailers that shows every vehicle on a map, with reports, alerts and, on some systems, tachograph downloads and driver identification.
Yes. The Tacho Truck Tracker can download tachograph data remotely, so vehicles do not need to return to base for downloads.
Small driver keys presented to a reader to identify the driver. Our Dallas trackers record who drove each truck, and the S5 Plus Dallas stops the engine starting without a valid key.
Yes. Battery-powered GPS asset trackers can be hidden in trailers and containers, with one to five years’ battery life.
Yes, where it is safe to work, and we can fit several vehicles in one visit.
Free training for your staff is included with the Tacho Truck Tracker.
Yes. Be open about tracking and explain why it is used. The ICO publishes guidance on monitoring workers.
Give us a call on: 01622 234510 or email enquiries@itrackdirect.com
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